


1.13: Locked Out of Heaven

by JustLikeTheSong



Series: NYC Spin-Off 'Verse [16]
Category: Glee
Genre: Angst, Drama, Dysfunctional Family, F/F, Friendship, M/M, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-30
Updated: 2013-02-08
Packaged: 2017-11-27 13:01:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/662283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustLikeTheSong/pseuds/JustLikeTheSong
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(1) Blaine's dad's impending visit to New York prompts trouble in Blaine and Kurt's relationship.</p><p>(2) Alarmed at Kurt and Blaine's fighting, Rachel schemes to help her favorite couple kiss and make up.</p><p>(3) A misunderstanding has Brittany questioning her relationship with Santana.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lover's Quarrel

[Blaine](http://25.media.tumblr.com/ce2fd81d1f49b04eb4e699ea9f0a51bb/tumblr_mep2vyJqFh1qapg62o1_250.gif) stared down at the text on his phone, gritting his teeth.  His eyes flitted over the email from Mom one more time.

_Your father will be travelling through New York on business next week.  It might be a good idea to offer to take him out for lunch._

Blaine didn’t talk much with his parents.  When he had lived at home, they were often out-of-town on business, and he had kept to his room when he wasn’t out with Kurt or friends when they were there.  It had just been a more sensible approach to take. 

Now that he was living in New York, he communicated with them even less.  He hadn’t spoken to either of them in months, though Mom and he exchanged polite emails now and then. 

He looked down at the most recent one from her again.  He hated when she pushed things; it made him feel guilty, but it also hurt.  He had learned that sometimes it was best to just accept things for what they were and cut his losses.  With Dad, it had taken him years to realize that fixing up cars and going to football games hadn’t been earnest attempts at bonding with his son, but plans to straighten him out, mold him into the son Dad had wanted but never really got, in either Blaine or Cooper.  It had taken Blaine more time after that to realize Dad was never really going to accept him for who he was, and when he and Kurt had started dating, he knew it wasn’t something he wanted Kurt to experience, not when he’d had such positive experiences with his own father.

He would be lying to himself, though, if he tried to deny that a small part of him would always secretly hold onto a pointless desire to have the kind of relationship Kurt shared with Burt with Dad.  And in moments like this, where Mom was requesting in her own mild, quietly desperate way, Blaine couldn’t help but feel an obligation to try.

So he dialed.

“Hello?”

“…Hi, Dad.  It’s Blaine.”

“Blaine.  Haven’t heard from you in a while.”

Blaine rolled his eyes at the disapproving tone as he tried to get more comfortable on the recliner in the loft.  “Life in New York is pretty busy.”

“I’ll bet.  If you’d agreed to attend NYU and stay in the dorms instead of…what you’re doing, I’m sure things wouldn’t be so difficult.”

Blaine’s mouth twisted.  “I didn’t say it was difficult.  I’m doing well.  How are you doing?  How’s Mom?”

“We’re fine,” Dad said.

After a long pause, Blaine spoke again, flames of anger licking the insides of his stomach.  “Kurt is doing great, too, here in New York.  He’s finding a lot of success at Vogue.”  He closed his eyes, knowing he was just goading Dad now, but he didn’t care.  He couldn’t even be bothered to ask after his boyfriend of almost two years, and Blaine was quickly losing his patience.

Dad heaved a long sigh.  “Was there something you wanted to talk about, Blaine?”

Blaine’s jaw clenched.  “You’re not even going to acknowledge what I just said?  You’re not even going to say anything about my boyfriend?”

“I can’t say anything on that subject without you flying off the handle,” Dad said, irritated, “I get shut down every single time.  I don’t know why you insist on bringing it up –“

“Kurt is my boyfriend,” Blaine said furiously, “I’m in love with him.  He’s an important part of my life; this isn’t something taboo, something dirty that I should be ashamed to mention!”

“You’re being emotional,” Dad said, even as his own voice rose, “if there’s no purpose to your call, I don’t see why I should continue to tolerate you yelling at me and trying to pick a fight.  I’ve had a very stressful day and I don’t need this silly argument added to it.”

“Fine.  Goodbye.”  Blaine jabbed the hang-up button on his phone and tossed it on the coffee table in disgust.  His cheeks and neck were warm, and he forced his hands to unfold from the tight fists they were in so he could hold his head in frustration.  He hadn’t even broached the topic of Dad being in New York.

Why did he even bother?

He looked up at the sound of the door opening and mustered half a smile as [Kurt](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lm1mntnN661qc4zwdo1_500.jpg) let himself in.

“Hi, honey!  How was your – what’s going on?”  Kurt’s smile slid off his face as he took in Blaine’s expression.

Blaine huffed out an irritated breath, looking down at his phone.  “I just got off the phone with my dad.”

“Ohhh…” Kurt said, eyebrows raising as he put down his things and moved to sit on the edge of the coffee table in front of Blaine, picking up his phone and holding it in his lap.  “And…how was that?”

“Not good.”  Blaine hated talking about Dad, even with Kurt.  Kurt had never even met Mom or Dad, and Blaine knew his boyfriend wasn’t happy about that.  “He’s coming to New York next week –“

“Maybe you could see him then?  If you two are having trouble, talking face-to-face could help.  My dad and I always dealt with things better when we were looking each other in the eye,” Kurt said, fiddling with Blaine’s phone, “maybe…maybe I could come with you?”

Blaine pinched the bridge of his nose.  “We didn’t even get on the topic of New York.  You don’t understand, Kurt.  You don’t know what he’s like.”

“I know,” Kurt said, his tone soothing.  Blaine didn’t want to be soothed, though.  “I just know that things seemed so distant and awkward with my dad before I came out, and once we started being honest and communicating, it got so much better.”

“It’s not about awkwardness,” Blaine snapped, “and do you honestly think you being there would help at all in that department?”

Kurt reared back a little.  “I see,” he said, voice deadly calm, biting, “I’m just a little too _awkward_ for you to introduce me to one of the most important people in your life.”

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it.  I have a hard enough time dealing with him on my own; I couldn’t stand it if he was using you as target practice right in front of me.”

“I’m not a delicate flower, Blaine,” Kurt said, standing up with a roll of his eyes, “I know very well what it’s like dealing with bullies.”

“Well, if you know he’s a bully, why do you want to meet him?  Why would you even want me to continue to try with him?”  Blaine stood up as well, crossing his arms over his chest and pacing away.  His heart pounded in his chest.

“Bullies can be redeemed, Blaine!  Holding a grudge forever is unhealthy.  I just think sometimes that you could try a little harder with your family.  It’s like you don’t even want to give them a chance to be better.”

Blaine stared at Kurt.  “Why are you making this out to be my fault?!” He exclaimed.  “Stop pretending you know what you’re talking about, Kurt!”

“Maybe I would know if you’d bother to share this part of your life with me!”

“Have you ever thought that I just don’t want to?  Why would I share this with you?  You have no experience with this; you can’t even imagine-“

Kurt’s cheeks were high with color and he hunched his shoulders, placing his hands on his hips.  “I’m not stupid,” he spat, “I know what it’s like to have people who can’t accept your sexuality, who hurt you for it- “

“No, you don’t know.  You don’t know what it’s like to have a mom and dad that don’t…don’t love or accept you; you don’t get it, Kurt!”

Kurt’s lips pressed into a thin line, and then he turned away.  “That’s right, I don’t know what having a mom and a dad is like,” he said, injured.

Blaine sighed, his arms falling to his sides.  “That isn’t –“

“You barely ever talk about your family, and when you do, it’s like you’d rather be rid of them.  I _wish_ I had a mom to have this kind of problem with.  It’s…it’s like they’re right there, and you just don’t care enough to do anything about it.”

Stung, Blaine didn’t even know what to say.  He just walked past Kurt, grabbing his coat and wallet and storming out, ignoring Kurt’s, “Blaine!”

***

Two miserable nights later, after having spent his days not talking to Kurt, awkwardly avoiding him in the loft, and both of them stubbornly sleeping on the far sides of their bed only to wake up intertwined so that they had to silently pull apart without looking each other in the eye, [Blaine](http://24.media.tumblr.com/6bfbaf76b4bd0d74971f5d53e3b7f00f/tumblr_mgdlmudQY01qeds6ko1_500.jpg) sat on the couch next to [Santana](http://media.tumblr.com/a408ef619abbbcdcdbdc73c44a6c0a0c/tumblr_inline_mgqjllR53d1qilqg8.png), who was painting her nails, and glared at the episode of The Bachelor playing on the TV.

“She should get disqualified just for wearing that hideous dress,” Santana commented idly.  Blaine remained silent, brooding.

“Hey, Lord Byron,” Santana said, elbowing him in the ribs, “your pouting is killing my end-of-the-week buzz.”

Blaine sighed, turning his head to look at her.  “This thing with Kurt is really bothering me.  I hate that we’re fighting.  But what he said…it’s a sore spot.”

Santana pursed her lips.  “That wasn’t an invitation for you to cry on my shoulder.”

Blaine stared at her balefully before turning to look back at the TV, slumping down in his seat a little.

“Look,” Santana said, a little awkward, like she wasn’t used to this sort of conversation, “it’s real simple.  Just apologize for whatever stupid thing you said, and Hummel will be showering you with love again in no time.  Just stop being such a stubborn ass.  I thought you two were obnoxious when you were getting along, but living with you when you’re fighting pretty much has me restraining myself 24/7 from slapping you both.”

“It’s not that simple,” Blaine said, “I wish I could let it go, but it keeps eating away at me.”

“Whatever.  Your funeral.  But whatever caused this angst-fest in the first place is probably just fuelling your feelings, and that’s not Kurt’s fault.”

He knew she was right, but it wasn’t like Kurt was innocent.  His words had hurt a lot, more than Blaine wanted to admit to himself.  Maybe that was why it was so hard to move past their fight.

And he didn’t want a repeat of that conversation.

“All I’m saying is that you two are totally going to suck the fun out of the karaoke party tomorrow night,” Santana said, blowing on her drying nails.

***

Santana’s prediction turned out to be true, at least from Blaine’s perspective, and Saturday night, with a bunch of friends over, all [he](http://img.perezhilton.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/darren-criss-for-daman-magazine-march-2011__oPt.jpg) could do was sit off to the side and try to pretend nothing was wrong for the sake of the company.  He didn’t want to call the party off because of his relationship troubles with Kurt, but he now wished they weren’t hosting it at the loft.  He and [Kurt](http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdg0d3Piqj1r1vo05.jpg) were still avoiding each other, and Blaine didn’t even feel like singing.

“Just talk to him,” [Mike](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7vhn8CxZs1qe222mo10_r2_250.gif) said, wheedling, but he dropped it when Blaine shook his head and avoiding his gaze.

Kurt seemed to be trying to avoid Rachel as well as Blaine (not that Blaine was paying a lot of attention, of course), probably because she was nagging at him to talk to his boyfriend, and Blaine found himself sitting with [Santana](http://24.media.tumblr.com/825fbba673c2d6fd831a575d5db37bb8/tumblr_menuynjm1k1qabm9eo1_r1_250.gif) and [Kevser](http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/i/2012/08/13/GLEE-PROJECT-AYLIN_240x320.jpg), if only because it wasn’t likely they’d want to talk about Kurt.  They had both had quite a bit to drink and were trading war stories when he sat down next to Kevser.

“Oh, Blaine,” Kevser slurred, patting his cheek, “Santnana was just telling me about her sexy girlfriend Brittany Spears – “

“Pierce,” Santana corrected her, eyes a little glossy, smiling against her cup, “Pierce.  Like piercing blue eyes.”

“Brittany Piercing Blue Eyes, then,” Kevser said, giggling.

“I miss her so much,” Santana said, lip jutting out.  Normally, Blaine would’ve found Santana being so unguarded and _young_ charming and endearing, but hearing about her pining for Brittany just made him sad.  He glanced over at Kurt, who was needlessly adjusting the plates of food set up on the counter.

“I love her,” Santana continued, “I miss going on dates, and falling asleep watching Sweet Valley High, and cheering her on at motocross meets…”  A sly smile spread across her face as she looked at Kevser.  “And I miss the regular sex.”

Kevser laughed loudly.  “At least you know you’ve got a sure thing when you see her!” She said.  “You two don’t know what it’s like for us single folks.  I need to get laaaid!  Why are all of you in relationships, anyway?  I’ve practically been living like a monk this year."

Santana twisted in her seat, looking over at the karaoke machine.  “Come on,” she said, taking Kevser’s hand, “we need to sing a duet.  Blaine,” she added staring at him and swaying a little as she stood up, “you lissen to this song and keep in mind how good you have it being shacked up with Hummel so you can get your mack on whenever you want so long as you’re not being drama queens.”

The two of them left him alone and made their way to the machine, picking a song.  The [music](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz9c5FaYxzQ) started up and Santana’s friends [Justin](https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/379661_594977767202003_1481738894_n.jpg) and [Christa](http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120807133722/thegleeproject/images/1/10/Lily_Mae.png) let out whistles.

“ _The lights are out and I barely know you, we’re going up and the place is slowing down; I knew you’d come around_ ,” Kevser sang, her body swaying gently.

Santana leaned against her.  _“You captivate me; something about you has got me.  I was lonely, now you make me feel alive; will you be mine tonight?”_

Blaine saw Mike open up his phone to start filming them, and Christa, Justin, and [Adia](http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/oo126/theybf/December%2009/dd4ac3aa.jpg) started a little dance party in the middle of the room, cheering the singers on.

His eyes slid to Kurt.

“ _Take me on the floor, I can’t take it any more; I want you, I want you, I want you to show me love,”_ Santana and Kevser harmonized, dancing together and gripping each other’s arms.

Kurt met Blaine’s gaze and they both looked away.  Blaine squeezed his eyes shut as if that could somehow block out Kurt’s judgmental tone, his hurtful accusations.

His phone buzzed in his pocket.  Relieved for the distraction, he answered, plugging his free ear and moving further off to the side, away from the music.  “Hello?”

“Blaine?”

“ _Time’s a bitch and my heart is sinking down,”_ Santana sang.

“Brittany?”  Blaine frowned, glancing down at the phone.  “Did you accidentally dial me again?  I really think you can figure out a better system to organize your contacts than by shade of hair color.”

“No.”  Brittany sounded distant, but it was probably just the music.  “I tried to phone Santana a bunch of times, but she isn’t picking up.”

“Oh, well, she’s been drinking.  She probably forgot her phone in her room.”  Blaine glanced towards the stage, where Santana was tossing her hair back and winking at Kevser.  “And she’s singing right now.  Did you want me to tell her to call you when she’s done?”

_“…just take me on the floor; I can give you more…”_

There was a moment of silence, and then Brittany spoke.  “No, that’s okay.  I’ll phone her tomorrow.  Bye, Blaine.  Oh, remember you shouldn’t feed Rachel after midnight.”

“Okay,” Blaine said, smiling a little, “good night, Brittany.”

“ _I wanna kiss a girl,_ ” Kevser crooned, grinning lazily.

“ _I wanna kiss a girl,_ ” Santana echoed, swiveling her hips.

“ _I wanna kiss a boy!_ ” Kevser punched her hand into the air.

Blaine’s mouth twisted wryly.

“ _I wanna kiss a…_ ”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs:
> 
> Take Me On The Floor (The Veronicas) by Santana and Kevser


	2. The Difference That I Can Make

Rachel had been having a good week.  Her hair was looking extra shiny, she had received a standing ovation in her vocal development class, and Cassandra July hadn’t said one mean thing to her since Monday (alright, she had called her a penguin and told her sickled feet looked gross, but that was the sort of thing she said to any of her students).

Still, three days living with Kurt and Blaine while they were fighting and not speaking had certainly soured all that, and Rachel was determined to do something about it.  Kurt and Blaine were her rocks.  She thought Santana and Brittany were a nice couple, but really, Kurt and Blaine needed to be alright.  She was highly invested in the future and integrity of their relationship; after all, she would be serving as Kurt’s maid of honor one day and she was sure they would name her godmother to their first child. 

The point was, if Kurt and Blaine couldn’t make it, no one could, and after three days of fighting, Rachel was getting anxious.

Luckily, no one had called off the karaoke party they had planned for Saturday night, and it was the perfect opportunity for some calculated love doctoring.

[Rachel](http://media.tumblr.com/e884c753d90a4efceed1d83c4dbf5e39/tumblr_inline_mhf2cgdylg1reolap.png) looked around the room.  [Blaine](http://img.perezhilton.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/darren-criss-for-daman-magazine-march-2011__oPt.jpg) was sitting with [Santana](http://24.media.tumblr.com/825fbba673c2d6fd831a575d5db37bb8/tumblr_menuynjm1k1qabm9eo1_r1_250.gif) and [Kevser](http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/i/2012/08/13/GLEE-PROJECT-AYLIN_240x320.jpg) and looking woeful, and [Kurt](http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdg0d3Piqj1r1vo05.jpg) was on the other side of the room pretending to fix the refreshments on the table.  Rachel pursed her lips, taking in the drawn look on his face and how his lips were pressed together tightly as he stared down at the veggie platter.  An antidote courtesy of Doctor Rachel was definitely in order.

She would need a partner in crime, though, and she took in the rest of the people at the party.  [Justin](https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/379661_594977767202003_1481738894_n.jpg) and [Christa](http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120807133722/thegleeproject/images/1/10/Lily_Mae.png), Santana’s friends from NYU, couldn’t possibly understand the gravity of the situation, and nor could [Adia](http://iamboigenius.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Naturi-Naughton-480x610.jpg), since she and Blaine had only befriended her at NYADA a couple months ago.  Kevser and Santana were too drunk to be of any use, and in any case, Rachel knew it wasn’t the sort of thing Santana would be willing to participate in (she was much better at sabotaging happy couples than helping them, as Rachel knew from personal experience). 

[Mike](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7vhn8CxZs1qe222mo10_r2_250.gif) emerged from the bathroom while Kevser and Santana sang a duet, and the answer was clear.  Mike was a kind and caring person; Rachel was certain he would be the perfect assistant for her plan.

She rushed up to him before he could go talk to anyone else.

“Hello, Mike,” she said with a beaming smile, tugging on his arm to pull him over to the nearest corner.

“Hi, Rachel,” he replied looking bemused at her actions.

“As I’m sure you’ve noticed, Kurt and Blaine have been having some troubles,” she began, nodding at his grimace, “it is truly an unfortunate situation, and while I don’t know all the details – because Kurt refuses to tell me, quite unwisely, I might add – I think I have the solution.”

Mike’s eyebrows shot up.  “I don’t think there’s anything we can do to –“

“Of course there is!  When friends are in need, we must rise to the occasion!  Look at Blaine’s face,” Rachel said, steering him towards Blaine, who was now sitting alone, “look at how tense Kurt looks.  It just isn’t right, and it’s within our power to do something about it.”

“I don’t know, Rachel.  Maybe – “

She leaned up and gripped his arms, fixing him with a determined stare.  “Mike, you were in glee club for three years.  You have witnessed the power of music.  You know yourself through dance what it can do.  I see no harm in at least attempting to harness it to bring Kurt and Blaine back to each other, do you?”

“No,” he said slowly, “I guess not.”

Rachel smiled in satisfaction, dropping back onto her heels.  “Good.  It’s settled.  We’ll go up after Santana and Kevser.  Leave the song selection to me!”

“You want to sing with me? Wouldn’t you rather do a solo?”

Rachel waved her hand.  “There’s plenty of time for that later.  It’ll mean more coming from both of us, and I’m sure your lovely baritone will back me up quite nicely.  Plus, we never did get a chance to sing together in high school, right?”

Mike smiled at her shyly.  “Right.”

***

Once Kevser and Santana had tottered away from the karaoke machine, hanging off of each other and giggling, Rachel scurried over and scooped up the mics before anyone had a chance and waved Mike over as she selected the song she wanted.

“This is a song dedicated to anyone who needs a reminder of how wonderful it is to have someone special in their life who loves them,” Rachel said.  That was probably too vague.  “And even when things are difficult, we always need to remember that – “

“Get with the singing, Berry, before I stuff a sock in your mouth,” Santana called.

Rachel glared at her, but [complied](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKnz3kAwRu8).

_“I had no choice, but to hear you…”_

She let her voice ring out, clear and earnest as she looked first at Blaine and then Kurt.  Mike joined in hesitantly, as if he didn’t know she could easily overpower him if he started to sing off-key.

_“You’ve already won me over, in spite of me, and don’t be surprised if I fall head over feet…”_

Justin went up to Adia and soon they were slow dancing, and then Santana, Kevser, and Christa wound up in a sloppy trio, swaying lazily. 

 _“You are the bearer of unconditional things…”_   Rachel continued to sing, her voice rising in insistent volume when Kurt and Blaine looked at each other but then quickly away.  Mike elbowed her and she stopped glaring at them, remembering to exude a mood of sweet romance and love.

_“You’re the best listener I’ve ever met.  You’re my best friend, best friend with benefits! What took me so long…”_

Blaine was staring down at his hands now and Kurt had grabbed a piece of cheesecake and was now furiously stabbing at it with a fork.

 _“I’ve never felt this healthy before,”_ Mike sang, looking increasingly awkward as his eyes darted from Blaine to Kurt and back again, _“I’ve never wanted something rational…_ ”

“ _I am aware now,_ ” the two of them sang together, Rachel restraining herself from stomping her foot in frustration at Kurt and Blaine’s lack of positive response to their song, _“I am aware now…”_

Everyone else cheered and clapped when they finished, but for once Rachel didn’t revel in the applause.  She put her hands on her hips and frowned as Blaine slumped further in his seat and Kurt ducked away into his room.

“Well, that was a bust,” Mike said to her quietly.

She turned to look at him, jaw set.  “Rachel Berry doesn’t give up that easily.”

***

[Rachel](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgcfbxv4hw1qeds6ko1_r2_500.jpg) had regrouped the following morning, making sure she woke up before Kurt so she could prevent him from leaving if need be.  She didn’t even bother to get changed, but just bounced out of bed still in her pyjamas, ignoring Santana, who had somehow wound up there with her and was snoring quietly.  She put a pot of coffee on; that always put Kurt and Blaine in better moods, and kept a watchful eye on their bedroom door as she quietly made herself some toast with jam.

When [Kurt](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdl7b6g8Mj1r9yr10o1_500.gif) emerged, bags under his eyes and clad in a somber grey hoodie, Rachel waited until she was sure he was settled reading a copy of Vogue before she snuck into their room and crawled onto their bed, shaking [Blaine’s](http://bestmoviesevernews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/darren-criss-blaine-glee-break-up-images.jpg%20%20%20) shoulder hurriedly.

“Kurt, wuzz wrong?” Blaine’s eyes flew open right away, even if his voice was slurred from sleep.

“It’s Rachel,” she whispered, “I need you to come to the kitchen, right away!”

Blaine blinked at her blearily before he sighed and rubbed at his eyes with one hand.  “Rach, can’t this wait – “

“No!” Rachel lowered her voice.  “Please, Blaine, right now.  It’s important.”

Sighing again, he rolled out of bed and stumbled out of the room, following her when she took his hand and guided him towards the kitchen, making him sit before he could notice Kurt and then running and grabbing Kurt’s arm, hauling him up out of his seat and towards another chair beside Blaine.

“Rachel, what is –“ Kurt’s annoyed voice broke off when he noticed Blaine.  “Oh, no…”

“Oh yes!” Rachel insisted, plunking him down next to Blaine and putting her hands on her hips.  “This has gone on long enough, and you two are going to listen to me!  I will not see you two throw away everything over some stupid fight, okay?  It’s not worth it!  What you have is important and real, and I refuse to let it waste away!  So you're going to sit there and listen to me as I try to appeal to you yet again, and you are going to stop being so stubborn and prideful before you ruin a perfectly wonderful relationship!”

“But – “ they both tried to say at the same time, but Rachel held up a finger.

“Not another word! You may speak after the song.”

Convinced they would remain seated, Rachel moved over to where her iPod sat in the dock, attached to two small speakers, and she pressed [play](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ7NkBWO3jc).

The music filtered through the air, and Rachel smiled encouragingly at her friends, ignoring the miserable look on Kurt’s face and the way Blaine’s arms were crossed uncomfortably over his chest.

_“When I look into your eyes, it’s like watching the night sky, or a beautiful sunrise; there’s so much they hold…”_

This sort of thing always worked.  A moving Rachel Berry ballad never failed to bring tears to Kurt’s eyes, and Blaine was a total softie. 

_“…I won’t give up on us, even if the skies get rough…”_

As Rachel continued to sing, she imagined the three of them in one of NYADA’s auditoriums, Kurt and Blaine staring up at [her](http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSw32fvcDwGjhoxv7nLS0V2t5-2gJEFHqL1JJNop6LxKkeLA2w8hA) with wet, moved eyes, so affected by the song and the sound and emotion of her voice that they would throw themselves into each other’s arms before it was over.

_“…we’ve got a lot to learn, God knows we’re worth it!”_

Of course, she would demur from their offers of gratitude for bringing them back in each other’s embrace, because this was about Kurt and Blaine, and not her.  Smiling wide through the lyrics, Rachel spread her arms, letting them rise up in the air slowly for the proper dramatic effect.

_“…we had to learn how to bend without the world caving in; I had to learn what I got, what I’m not, and who I am!”_

It was only as she finished the last lines of the song that she noticed with dismay that Kurt and Blaine weren’t clutching at each other, overcome with love and emotion.

_“…I’m giving you all my love…I’m still looking up…”_

A long, awkward pause followed after the music died away.

Rachel’s mouth fell open but she couldn’t think of any words.

“Rachel, you sounded lovely, but a song isn’t going to solve this,” Blaine told her, looking tired.

“Especially not when you sing it wearing that,” Kurt chimed in, lifting his eyebrow at her pink pyjamas.

She thrust a hand towards Kurt.  “See! You’re agreeing on things already!  Just, please,” she pulled at her pigtails anxiously, “please don’t let whatever this is tear you apart.  I couldn’t bear it if you broke up; your love is more than that!”

Both of them stared at her.

“We’re not breaking up just because we’re fighting,” Blaine said slowly.  He glanced over at Kurt quickly with a frown but then looked back at Rachel.

Kurt gave a long-suffering sigh, mouth tense.  “We’ve had fights before.  You know that,” he told Rachel, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go for a walk, because I really don’t want to be in this apartment right now.”

Blaine looked miffed, but Rachel just stared in shock as Kurt left the apartment in a hoodie and a pair of lounge pants.

Santana chose that time to stick her head out of Rachel’s room, hair sticking up, a pained, squinty-eyed expression on her face.

“If I hear one more note today, Yentl,” she rasped, “I will rip out your vocal chords.”

Rachel frowned at Blaine, who gave her a shrug in reply before getting up to pour himself some coffee.  She gazed at his forlorn expression with concern, but didn’t let her resolve waver. 

Maybe it wasn’t her song that needed to be heard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs:
> 
> Head Over Feet (Alanis Morissette) by Rachel and Mike
> 
> I Won't Give Up (Jason Mraz) by Rachel


	3. Big Black Sky Over My Town

[Brittany](http://img.perezhilton.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/brittany-4.gif) didn’t really sleep all night.  She had a lot on her mind.  She started to hear that Tina, who was having a sleepover with her, was making little snuffling noises in Morse code, so Brittany spent some time trying to decipher that.  And she thought she saw a gremlin hanging off the eave outside her window and hoped Blaine remembered not to feed Rachel after midnight because it would be a total disaster.

But mostly all she could think about was Santana.  How she couldn’t get a hold of her, and then how she’d heard Santana singing a sexy duet with what sounded like Kevser when she was talking to Blaine.  And then she couldn’t stop thinking about Kevser, who was pretty and curvy and a good dancer.  Kevser, who was smart enough to get in to Julliard instead of failing high school.

So she didn’t get a very good sleep, and when she woke up really early, she slid out of her bed, careful not to disturb Tina under the pile of covers.  She reached for her phone and left her room, sitting down at the top of the stairs and selecting Santana’s name before pressing Send.

She dug her sore toes into the carpet on the stair below as the phone rang.

“‘Lo?”

Brittany frowned, and her heart sped up.  That wasn’t Santana’s voice.

“Hi, is Santana there?”

“‘S too early.  Call back later,” the voice groaned, and the line went dead.

Brittany dropped her forehead to her knees and took a deep breath.  That was Kevser’s voice.  Kevser was answering Santana’s phone early in the morning.

She thought about calling again, but she couldn’t bring herself to.  She didn’t want to hear Kevser again. 

Instead, [she](http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/uu285/misslala007V2/Glee/Heather-Photoshoot-brittany-1007164.jpg) waited until the afternoon, after Tina had gone home, crept down to the basement, silent and light, and snuck into Dad’s office, pausing just outside to pick up Lord Tubbington and hold him to her chest.

“I’m sure it’s fine,” she told him absently as she sat down in front of the computer and petted his head, “don’t worry.”

She nuzzled her cheek against his fur as she opened Facebook, nibbling on her bottom lip.  Mike had tagged Santana and Kevser in a video.  She clicked play and put Lord Tubbington down on the floor after ten seconds.

She didn’t want him to see.

Brittany watched the video, and her eyes started to sting.  She hiccupped.  It was [Santana](http://24.media.tumblr.com/825fbba673c2d6fd831a575d5db37bb8/tumblr_menuynjm1k1qabm9eo1_r1_250.gif) and [Kevser’s](http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/i/2012/08/13/GLEE-PROJECT-AYLIN_240x320.jpg) duet from last night.  They were dancing together, touching, laughing and playing.  They were obviously drunk and obviously flirting.

Kevser was smart and beautiful and she had great boobs.  And she was in New York, with Santana.

Brittany hastily exited out of Facebook when she heard footsteps on the stairs.

“Pumpkin?  You okay?”  [Dad](http://fckwhatyouheard.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/hank-azaria.jpg) poked his head in, pushing his glasses up higher on his nose hesitantly.

“Fine, Dad,” she said, and rushed back upstairs before he could use his megamind powers to figure out the truth.

***

On Monday, [Brittany](http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121202005807/glee/images/8/84/Heather_promoshoot_Glee_4_Temporada.jpg) walked around school in a daze.  It wasn’t a big deal, since nobody could really tell the difference between her in a daze and her not in a daze, except she avoided Tina as much as she could, because she would notice.  Santana had texted her a couple times, but she ignored them.

Normally, she’d totally be putting everyone in their place for Diva week with an awesome Ke$ha solo, but she couldn’t stand the thought of attending afternoon practice.  Pretending Finn was her teacher was hard enough on a regular day, but their morning meeting had been just awful.  She kept expecting Santana to come in and perform an erotic interpretive dance with Kevser at Finn’s invitation.

So she decided to skip rehearsal, and made her way to the auditorium alone, pacing across the stage, morose.

A diva was strong.  She demanded respect and respected herself.  She was independent and fierce and amazing and smart.  Brittany could only think of one diva and one [song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC5-9TwxRy8) that could possibly make her feel like that when all she wanted to do was curl up and cry.

 _“Somebody said you got a new friend_ ,” she sang, imagining the pounding bass, the steady beat of music, _“does she love you better than I can?”_

In her mind’s eye, the stage was all lit up: strobe lights, purples and blues flashing and a spotlight on her.

 _“…yeah, I know it’s stupid; I just gotta see it for myself…”_   She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, trying to block out the sight of Santana and Kevser dancing and flirting and singing together.

_“…I’m all messed up, I’m so out of line, stilettos and broken bottles, I'm spinning around in circles…”_

Brittany kicked and spun as she sang, [transformed](http://25.media.tumblr.com/087edea918cad509fb46c352f7e09d7a/tumblr_mgubrvyMQ81qeds6ko1_r1_500.jpg) in her head into a powerful diva, owning the stage in an awesome dress that sparkled and flowed with her movements.  But [Santana](http://24.media.tumblr.com/825fbba673c2d6fd831a575d5db37bb8/tumblr_menuynjm1k1qabm9eo1_r1_250.gif) was there, sitting in the audience and watching her, and no matter how fierce she was, her heart was still breaking.

_“I’m in the corner, watching you kiss her, oh, I’m right over here, why can’t you see me, oh…”_

She didn’t even notice the tears trickling down her face as she leapt through the air and pirouetted around the stage.

_“I’m giving it my all, but I’m not the girl you’re taking home, ooo, I keep dancing on my own…”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs:
> 
> Dancing On My Own (Robyn) by Brittany

**Author's Note:**

> Song Order: Take Me On the Floor, Head Over Feet, I Won't Give Up, Dancing On My Own


End file.
